Sam Smith Gives Details on Heartbreak That Inspired Album

2 years ago

Sam Smith released his highly-anticipated debut album, In the Lonely Hour, this week!

And the “Stay With Me” singer called in to On Air with Ryan Seacrest on Thursday morning to talk about the songs on it and his inspiration.

“Every single song is revealing, I said way too much,” he says. “I’ve had this realization the other week when I was driving around London [and] there’s pictures of my face everywhere with the word Lonely underneath. I kind of realized I’e really really opened myself up on this record.”

But just because Sam included the word “lonely” in the title, it doesn’t have to mean sad.

“A year ago, I was wallowing in it and I felt really sorry for myself,” explains Sam. “And then I wrote the record and I realized, I’m 22 and I’ve got a long time to get into relationships. I don’t have to take it too seriously. There’s lonely moments, but I’m now in control of them.”

Much of In the Lonely Hour was inspired by a guy who did not share the same feelings for Sam that he had for him. So does the guy in question have any idea?

“I told the guy,” he says. “But the record is not about one person. It’s about loads of different people who I’ve fallen in love with, who haven’t loved me back. And it just so happens that something happened last year … I’m very thankful it happened because the record got written.”

As for Sam’s idols in musics, he explains he really only listens to female singers, except for a few males, like Stevie Wonder.

Growing up, “I was listening to Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, and still to this day, most of the people on my iPod are females, which is odd,” he says. “Maybe I can just relate to the music better.”

Sam’s duet with Mary J. Blige on “Stay With Me” has made his hit even bigger than it already was. “Not only is she obviously a legend, but she’s the kindest woman ever,” he gushes. “I love her. I want to spend all my time with her every day. She’s so sweet.”